Game Of The Week: Braves vs. Pirates June 28

The Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates will meet again this weekend at PNC Park in Pittsburgh for the second time this month. The Pirates and Braves met at Turner Field where they took to games of the three game series. The Braves are currently (35-35) on the season, putting them in third place in the NL East, two games back in the division and 3 1/2 games back in the Wild Card. The Pirates are currently (39-30), placing them second in the NL Central, six games back behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

Last Season:

Braves:

The Atlanta Braves’ 2014 season saw many ups and downs which included losing sixteen of the twenty games they played in the month of September. The Braves finished (79-83) on the season, which landed them tied for second place with the New York Mets in the National League East Division, behind the Washington Nationals and nine back from a Wild Card berth.

Pirates:

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished their 2014 season (88-74) in second place, two games back in the National League Central Division behind the St. Louis Cardinals. They earned a play off berth and played in the Wild Card Game but would end up losing the one game match-up 8-0 against the San Francisco Giants who would go on and in the World Series.

Managers:

Braves:

Fredi Gonzalez is the current Manager of the Atlanta Braves, a position he has held since the Fall of 2010 when Bobby Cox retired. Gonzalez has led the Braves to postseason appearances in 2012 and 2013. Prior to joining the Braves he was the Manager of the Miami Marlins (formerly Florida Marlins), a job that he took in the Fall of 2003 after Joe Girardi was fired. He won more games than any other Manager in the Organization’s history with two winning seasons in 2008 and 2009, he was relieved of his position in June 2010.

Pirates:

Clint Hurdle is the current Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he signed with the team in 2010 when John Russell was fired. In 2011 and 2012 he led the Pirates to winning records at mid-season but fell to a below .500 record both times which accumulated to twenty losing seasons. In 2013, Hurdle got the Pirates to the playoffs for the first time since 1992.Pittsburgh then went on to lose to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the 2013 National League Division Series. In 2014 Hurdle and the Pirates went to the playoffs again but lost in the Wild Card playoff game to the Giants. In 2013 Hurdle was named the Sporting News Manager of the Year.

Key Additions/ Subtractions:

Braves:

The Atlanta Braves made quite a few moves in the offseason and also towards the beginning of the 2015 season. In November of 2014,right fielder Jason Heyward was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with Jordan Walden in exchange for RHP Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. The Shelby Miller acquisition has made the Braves look quite good as he is currently (5-3) on the season with 1.99 ERA and in May was just one out away from a no-hitter against the Miami Marlins. Left-fielder Justin Upton was traded in December 2014 along with Aaron Northcraft to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Max Fried, Jace Peterson, Dustin Peterson and Mallex Smith. In April 2015, Melvin Upton (formerly known an BJ) joined his brother in San Diego when he was also traded along with closer Craig Kimbrel in exchange for Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin and two prospects.

Pirates:

After making a Wild Card appearance in 2014, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a few moves to try and go even further in the postseason in 2015. RHP AJ Burnett resigned with the Pirates after being with the Phillies for one season. Catcher Francisco Cervelli was acquired by the Pirates in November 2014 from the New York Yankees in exchange for Justin Wilson.

Prospects:

Braves:

The Atlanta Braves’ top prospect second baseman Jose Peraza is currently playing with the Triple- A Gwinnett Braves. Peraza is currently hitting .300 along with 25 RBIs, two homers and seventeen stolen bases. He has at least one hit in nine of the last ten games and he is batting .405 with 5 RBIs.The 21 year old from Barinas, Venezuela was signed by the Braves in July 2010 as a free agent.

Pirates:

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ top prospect is right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow. The 21 year old Glasnow recently came back from an ankle injury and after a month off made an appearance with the short season West Virginia Black Bears where he appearance in just one and one-third of an inning three runs off of two hits and one walk. He will most likely see another start in West Virginia before making his way back to Double-A Altoona. Prior to injuring his ankle he made six appearances with Altoona where he was (2-2) with a 2.76 ERA. Glasnow was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft while playing at Hart High School in Santa Clarita, California.

Bethany is a Graduate of the University of South Florida and currently resides in Tampa. She is a die-hard Yankees' fan and has been a freelance writer for six years. She has covered the Yankees' Minor League System since 2010 and also does freelance work for Examiner.com and CBS Local Tampa Bay. Follow her on Twitter @TampaBethany